MikeMagi "Blonde Crazy" is a quick, quirky, entertaining tale with James Cagney as a bellhop cum con artist and Joan Blondell as his fetching partner-in-crime. They keep coming up with clever cons to swindle the susceptible til Blondell falls for a charming stock broker -- played by a very young Ray Milland -- who's as crooked as her partner but not nearly as good at it. Louis Calhern joins the party as a dapper rogue who tries to put one over on Cagney with surprising results. Considering that "Blonde Crazy" was made only a few years after movies learned to talk, the dialogue is sharp and crisp and the film itself looks almost brand new (thanks to Ted Turner and company.)Well worth watching.

MartinHafer Aside from an ending that just seemed too vague and too abrupt, this is a very little enjoyable film from Warner Brothers. In some ways, it's very much a Pre-Code style film but it's not as salacious as some of the more extreme films during the era. Sure, there is a some sexual innuendo and the main characters are awfully amoral, but it other ways things are bizarrely chaste--and it's something you really need to see to appreciate.The film begins with Ann (Joan Blondell) looking for a job at a hotel. A slick bellboy, Bert (James Cagney) helps her get a job and almost immediately begins pawing at her. He's also a guy who is a bit of a huckster--and he schemes and pulls off petty grifter schemes for extra money. Want an example of the sort of dialog in this part of the film?Bert Harris: Now, you play ball with me... and your worrying days will be over. Ann Roberts: Yeah? How about the nights? Bert Harris: (smirks) Well, I'll see what I can do about those too, honey!As I said, there is a lot of innuendo. However, unlike films like "Red- Headed Woman" and "Platinum Blonde", the leading lady in this one seems to have her virtue intact throughout the film. Ann is willing to go along with some of Bert's schemes but keeps him at a distance throughout the film. Eventually, the pair get tired of penny ante stakes and quite their jobs to travel the country cheating boobs here and there. The trouble is that in the process, the pair obviously become quite fond of each other. But Ann doesn't want this sort of life forever and eventually falls for a stockbroker (Ray Milland). What's in store for Bert? Well, watch the film for the super-bizarro ending to see for yourself. I don't want to give it away but suffice to say it seems to come from out of no where and the ending of the film is incredibly vague and a bit unsatisfying-- hence my score of only 7 when it easily could have earned a higher rating up until then. The overall moral of the film seems to be EVERYONE is corrupt and what you get out of life is what you can take--a thoroughly Pre-Code moral in every way! Still, despite its dubious life lesson, the film is well acted and paced, quite enjoyable to watch and offers Cagney a part to play one of his strangest characters. This isn't the nasty criminal sort he played in "Public Enemy" nor the heroic sort he played in Post- Code films, that's for sure.

blanche-2 James Cagney is "Blonde Crazy" in this 1931 film also starring Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern, and Ray Milland.It's worth mentioning Charles Lane, who played the hotel desk clerk at the beginning of the film. Lane died in 2007 at the age of 102 and his last credit was in 2006! Lane is really a piece of Hollywood history, just as the stars of the film were.Cagney is a hotel bellhop, Bert Harris, who convinces the Kewpie-doll blonde Ann Roberts (Blondell) to join him in his life of crime. The crimes consist of some mighty clever scans to fleece rich people -- and, in one case, getting back at the con man who stole from them. Despite their partnership, neither can admit their feelings for one another. Ann falls for a broker (Ray Milland) and trouble follows.The two stars are wonderful, so young and energetic. Cagney calls Blondell "Hawn-EEE" which I'm sure he came up by himself. Blondell with her huge eyes is adorable. You really find yourself rooting for the two of them. In an early role, Louis Calhern is smooth as silk, and Milland provides an attractive lure for Ann.This is a nice piece of Americana. It's 1931 and people are out hustling. Sort of like today. Very enjoyable.

David (Handlinghandel) Roy del Ruth directed one exciting, racy movie after another in the days between the advent of talkies and the advent of the Code. This is definitely high on the list; but the lot sort of undoes everyone: It starts off as a naughty romp about a bellboy an a girl he gets a job in the hotel laundry. They are played by James Cagney (in one of his best roles, "White Heat" being probably my other favorite) and the always, always lovely and appealing Joan Blondell.Their spats, his calling her "Hon-EE" are charming. The scene in which she's in the bath and tells him her money is in brassiere is pretty darn risqué. Not to mention his holding her panties in front of his own lower torso and then, very quickly sniffing the finger that's held her undergarments! Their fleecing of Guy Kibbee is fine. He's a classic movie boob and they don't take him for a lot.Suddenly, though, Louis Calhern is a genuine gangster and they hook up with him. And this is not funny. Then the young, not very good or attractive Ray Milland appears and the plot gets really ugly.(I do like Milland in his later roles but he was a baby here.) Had it simply stayed a saucy comedy it would have rated an 8 or maybe a 9. It covers too many bases, though, and the